Furious Tour Blitz: Book Excerpt + Giveaway!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I along with some other book bloggers are participating in a tour blitz for the book Furious by T.R. Ragan. Below you will find some information about the book, an excerpt, information about the author, and a giveaway! I hope you enjoy! :)

 Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | The Book Depository  


Faith McMann comes home to a nightmare: her husband is killed and her son and daughter are taken. Although the intruders leave her for dead, she survives. Crippling grief and fear for her children make life unbearable. Until her anguish turns to anger…and she trades victimhood for vengeance. Frustrated with the law’s efforts, she takes action to rescue her children—and wreaks havoc on the brutal criminals who tore them from her. With her family and newfound allies at her side, Faith descends into the hellish underworld of human trafficking, determined to make those who prey on the innocent pray for mercy. The forces she's up against have already proven that their ruthlessness knows no bounds. And there's nothing they won't do to turn Faith's crusade into a suicide mission. But they're about to learn that nothing is more dangerous than a mother fighting for her children—especially one who's earned the nickname Furious.

Early Praise

“Faith McMann, heroine of this gripping novel, is a Sacramento schoolteacher, wife, and mother who comes home just in time to witness her husband’s throat getting cut and her two children hauled away. The attempt on her life is botched—the killers were in a hurry—and as she recovers, she’s convinced the police are brushing her off. So she whacks a detective with his computer keyboard and gets sentenced to anger management sessions. If this were a cookie-cutter thriller, the male hero would be tracking the killers with an automatic weapon and maybe a major babe beside him. But our hero is smarter than that, and her revenge is a product of relationships, not bullets. In classes, she meets other victims as angry as she is, and, together, in fine scenes of action and suspense, they seek explanations and vengeance as well as the children’s rescue, which takes them into a slimy world of human trafficking. Learn here about “lot lizards” and “kiddie strolls” on the way to a wild finale. Suspenseful and smart, in equal measure.” —Don Crinklaw, Booklist


“Searing...Readers with strong stomachs will eagerly await the next installment.” —Publishers Weekly


The kids unlatched their seatbelts, jumped out of the car, and ran through the

garage and into the house before the song ended. Faith sang along until the last 

verse, then sat there for a moment and soaked in a little peace and quiet. 

Working full-time and raising two young kids tended to make moments like this 

rare.

Her cell phone buzzed. It was her sister. “Hey, what’sup?” Faith asked.

“I’ll tell you what’s up,” Jana said. “Steve is driving me nuts! I quit drinking, I 

stopped devouring cake and cookies, but now he won’t let me lift anything 

heavier than a milk carton. This baby is going to be born stressed out if he 

doesn’t chill.”

Faith smiled. Her sister was a drama queen. “What time will you be coming 

tomorrow?”

“Oh, my God, I forgot about the party.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Faith said. “You were supposed to make six 

dozen cupcakes. Do you know how much I still have to do before—”

Her sister’s laughter cut her off midsentence.

Faith sighed when she realized Jana had been joking about not making the 

cupcakes. “That’s not funny, Jana.”

“You’re such a dweeb. How could I possibly forget to make six dozen cupcakes 

when you’ve reminded me every single day for the past two weeks?”

“I don’t know, but I have to go.”

“Wait—Have you told Craig the news?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“He’s been busy with work—and, you know, bills stacking up, new tires for the 

car, busted water heater last month. I haven’t found the right moment to tell him 

about baby number three.”

“He’ll be thrilled. Don’t wait too long, OK?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Faith disconnected the call and was about to head off for 

the store when she remembered the grocery list hanging on the refrigerator. She 

left her purse in the car and climbed out. Weaving around toys and bikes, she 

headed through the garage door into the kitchen, where it looked as if a tornado 

had swept through the house. Kitchen drawers had been left open.

Papers and broken dishes were scattered across the floor.

Her heart raced. What is going on?

Just as she was about to call out her husband’s name, she stepped into the 

family room and saw Craig on the floor, bound and gagged.

A man she didn’t recognize hovered over him.

The scene before her made no sense.

Her heart pounded in her chest, making it difficult to breathe as her gaze darted 

around the room.

And then she spotted them.

Lara and Hudson sat together on the couch. Their hands had been duct-taped 

behind their backs. More duct tape covered their mouths. Another man stood 

close by, watching over them.

Time stopped as she tried to figure out what to do.

Craig always said they should buy a gun, but she didn’t want to keep one in the 

house. Eyes wide, she looked at the knife drawer. Grab a knife? Or run and alert 

the neighbors?

The two men exchanged a glance. Their eyes said it all.

She turned and ran.

If she could get inside the car and lock the doors, she could honk the horn or 

drive the car right through the wall and into the house if she had to. That might 

get one of the neighbors’ attention.

She flew through the back door leading to the garage and screamed at the top of 

her lungs before someone grabbed her from behind, twisted her around, and 

brought her face up close to his.

“Where is it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said as she struggled to get free.

He sneered. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with desperation.

He smelled of stale tobacco. Strong arms held her in place. She thought of every 

show she’d ever seen on getting away from an assailant, but fighting him was 

useless. “Let us go!” she cried.

He shook her hard enough to make her teeth rattle.

“You have five seconds to tell me where it is!”

This time when she screamed, she dug her heel into his foot and tried to twist out 

of his grasp.

He slammed her to the ground. Her head hit the cement floor, and her world 

turned black.


Text Copyright © Theresa Ragan, Published by Thomas and Mercer




T.R. Ragan (Theresa Ragan) is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. Her exciting Lizzy Gardner series: Abducted, Dead Weight, A Dark Mind, Obsessed, Almost Dead, and Evil Never Dies, has received tremendous praise. In August 2015 Evil Never Dies hit #7 on the Wall Street Journal Bestselling List. Since publishing in 2011, she has sold over two million books and has been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, the L.A. Times, PC Magazine, Huffington Post, and Publishers Weekly. Theresa grew up in a family of five girls in Lafayette, California. An avid traveler, her wanderings have carried her to Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, China, Thailand, and Nepal, where she narrowly survived being chased by a killer elephant. Before devoting herself to writing fiction, she worked as a legal secretary for a large corporation. Theresa and her husband Joe have four children and live in Sacramento, California. FURIOUS, the first book in her most recent Faith McMann series will be released March 22, 2016, followed by OUTRAGE and WRATH.


I hope you've enjoyed getting the opportunity to read about Furious! Enter the Rafflecopter below to one of five copies of this book (US only)!! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out the rest of bloggers in this blitz to read their posts!

Schedule:
3/21 - SpotlightKatie's Book Bloghttp://www.katiesbookblog.com
3/21 - SpotlightReading is Better With Cupcakeshttp://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/
3/21 - SpotlightTwenty Three Pageshttps://twentythreepages.wordpress.com
3/21 - SpotlightBook Stacks Amberhttps://bookstacksamber.wordpress.com
3/21 - SpotlightThe Book Reaperwww.thebookreaper.net
3/21 - SpotlightIn Wonderlandhttp://www.inwonderlandbookblog.com
3/21 - SpotlightKellyVisionkellyvision.wordpress.com
3/21 - SpotlightIn Love With Handmadehttp://pili-inlovewithhandmade.blogspot.com.es/
3/21 - SpotlightWandering Bark Bookswanderingbarkbooks.com
3/21 - SpotlightRebelle Readsrebellereads.blogspot.com
3/22 - ExcerptA Crave For Bookshttp://acraveforbooks.blogspot.co.uk/
3/22 - ExcerptJust Commonlyhttp://justcommonly.blogspot.com
3/22 - ExcerptOne Curvy Bloggerhttp://onecurvyblogger.com
3/22 - ExcerptOnce Upon a Twilighthttp://www.onceuponatwilight.com/
3/22 - ExcerptFiction Farewww.fictionfare.com
3/22 - ExcerptCindy's Love of Bookshttp://cindysloveofbooks.com
3/22 - ExcerptOwl Always Be Readinghttp://www.owlalwaysbereading.com/
3/22 - Excerpt3 Little Birds Book Bloghttp://3lbbookblog.com/
3/22 - ExcerptBookishRealmReviewswww.bookishrealmreviews.com
3/22 - ExcerptTake Me Away To A Great Readhttp://takemeawaytoagreatread.com/
3/23 - SpotlightStuck In Bookshttp://stuckinbooks.com
3/23 - Spotlightjrsbookreviewshttp://www.jrsbookreviews.wordpress.com
3/23 - SpotlightHere's to Happy Endingshttp://www.herestohappyendings.com
3/23 - SpotlightLilybloombookshttp://lilybloombooks.com
3/23 - SpotlightPandora's Bookshttp://www.pandorasbooks.org
3/23 - SpotlightSuch a Novel Ideahttp://suchanovelidea.com
3/23 - SpotlightNovel Inkhttp://novelinkblog.com
3/23 - SpotlightPolished Page-Turnershttp://www.polishedpageturners.com
3/23 - SpotlightThe Phantom Paragrapherwww.thephantomparagrapher.blogspot.com
3/23 - SpotlightsototallynotaddictedSototallynotaddicted.blogspot.com
3/24 - ExcerptNo BS Book Reviewshttp://nobsbookreviews.com
3/24 - ExcerptLekeisha The Booknerdhttp://www.lekeishathebooknerd.wordpress.com
3/24 - ExcerptBooks, TV, and More... Oh My!https://kcmmp13.wordpress.com/
3/24 - Excerptbooks are lovehello-booklover.tumblr.com
3/24 - ExcerptRattle the PagesHttp://rattlethepages.blogspot.com
3/24 - ExcerptTine's ReviewsTinesreviews.wordpress.com
3/24 - ExcerptReading TernHttp://readingteen.net/
3/24 - ExcerptDa Readaholic Book Bloghttp://dareadaholic.blogspot.com
3/24 - ExcerptDon't Fold the Pagehttp://dontfoldthepage.blogspot.com
3/24 - ExcerptBooks, Feels and Tearsbooksfeelsandtears.wordpress.com
3/25 - SpotlightYaReadshttp://www.yareads.com
3/25 - SpotlightA Leisure MomentWww.aleisuremoment.com
3/25 - SpotlightThe Book Cellarwww.thebookcellarx.com
3/25 - SpotlightMiranda's Book Bloghttp://mirandasbookreviews.blogspot.com
3/25 - SpotlightAcross the Wordshttp://acrossthewords.com
3/25 - SpotlightThat Artsy Reader Girlhttp://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/
3/25 - SpotlightBrittany's Book Rambleshttp://www.bookrambles.com/
3/25 - SpotlightRead Love Bloghttp://www.read-love-blog.com/
3/25 - SpotlightThe Irish Banana Reviewhttp://theirishbanana.blogspot.com/
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Blog Tour: Clarina Nichols - Frontier Crusader for Women's Rights by Diane Eickhoff



Happy Monday everyone!! I'm so grateful to be the first stop on the TLC Book Tours book blogging tour of Diane Eickhoff's Clarina Nichols - Frontier Crusader for Women's Rights. Below you will find some information related to the book, my thoughts/review, author information, as well as future tour stops. I hope you enjoy!


Purchase: Amazon
Published: March 1, 2016 by Quindaro Press
# of Pages: 240 
Source: Review Copy by Publisher 

 
In 1827, when Clarina was a teenager, she remembers, "I had a longing desire to do good." But America wasn't ready for an ambitious, intelligent young woman. Clarina was supposed to get married and start a family. But her husband turned out to be abusive and a deadbeat. The law was of little help. Her situation seemed hopeless. This is the amazing true story of how Clarina Nichols turned tragedy into triumph—and went on to help fuel the movement that created a brighter future for women everywhere.

Praise
"The name Clarina Nichols deserves to be placed next to those of such luminaries as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton" —Booklist

“Readers will gain a sense of the bravery and conviction it took for Nichols and other women to challenge unjust and ingrained ideologies in order to ensure freedom for future generations.” — Publishers Weekly, Nov. 30, 2015


It's 2016, the year of a Presidential election. With such a significant event occurring, many individuals and organizations have begun to advocate for U.S. citizens to exercise their right to vote. As a young, African-American female I sometimes forget how important it is to recognize the struggle many women went through to make sure I and so many others have the right to vote. With this subject so scarcely covered in history classrooms, Diane Eickhoff does a wonderful job introducing the topic of women's suffrage through Clarina Nichols. 

What I enjoyed most about this novel was the information I had access to. I was given the opportunity to learn about various aspects of the 19th century that I never learned in school, not even as a history major. Here are a few examples: 
  • Ladies were solely educated in piano, art, singing, etc. to become more eligible for marriage whereas men were given a scientific education. (pg. 19) 
  • People drank three times more in the 19th century than people now. (pg. 25) 
  • Poor widows were often auctioned off to the lowest bidder. (pg. 67)
  • If a mother had custody of her children for years she lost it as soon as she remarried. (pg. 69)
These are just a small percentage of things I learned while reading the novel. The text is full of riveting information as it relates to Clarina Nichols and women's fight to have just as many legal rights as men. Eickhoff clearly sets forth to expand the mind of all her readers.

In addition to the newly gained information associated with the book, Eickhoff's writing makes the book extremely accessible. Quite often with non-fiction younger readers are turned away because the text is not information they can relate to or understand. Eickhoff presents the story of Clarina in a clear, concise manner that makes the information accessible to individuals of all ages. It becomes a tale for everyone to enjoy. It covers numerous perspectives of Clarina while introducing the names of more well known women's rights activists such as as Susan B. Anthony. If you are searching for a young adult non-fiction novel that gives a great perspective of the women's fight towards equal rights I would definitely recommend checking out this novel which does a wonderful job of building and illustrating the story of Clarina Nichols. 




About the Author
Diane Eickhoff grew up on a farm in Minnesota, taught school in Appalachia and New York, and helped edit a newspaper for an anti-poverty program in Alabama. She has written widely for publications aimed at high school and younger readers. Her biography, Revolutionary Heart, from which this book is adapted, was named a Kansas Notable Book and the winner of ForeWord magazine’s Book of the Year competition in biography, among other honors. She lives with her husband, author Aaron Barnhart, in Kansas City. 





Please make sure you check out the following bloggers for the rest of the blog tour!
Tuesday, March 22nd: Lectus
Tuesday, March 22nd: The Avid Reader
Wednesday, March 23rd: Time 2 Read
Thursday, March 24th: A Bookish Affair
Tuesday, March 29th: Tina Says…
Wednesday, March 30th: Rambling Reviews
Thursday, March 31st: Bibliophilia, Please
Monday, April 4th: Puddletown Reviews
Tuesday, April 5th: Raven Haired Girl
Wednesday, April 6th: I’m Shelf-ish
Thursday, April 7th: Unabridged Chick
Thursday, April 7th: Reading is My Super Power
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The Story of Lucius Cane: Book One by Vanya Ferreira



Publication: 2016
# of Pages: 27 
Source: Review Copy from Author 


London, 1794. Lucius Cane, a peculiar sort of vampire, comes upon an opponent the likes of which he has never seen before – a brute with remarkable abilities. But not all is as it seems as their encounter unfolds in a manner that neither of them expected.


If you are interested in films such as Underworld this short story is definitely for you. I have had an interest in paranormal creatures such as vampires and lycanthropes/werewolves, but have not read much literature on the subject. This provided me with the perfect opportunity. 

What was most rewarding about this story was the author's ability to create such vivid scenery with his writing style. His use of language is beautiful in every way. His words paint such clear images that the reader feels as though they are standing within the setting of his characters watching the action take place. You ultimately become captivated and lost within his words wishing and hoping there was more.  

The only thing that bothered me about the story was that the reader is thrown into the story without much explanation. There isn't a clear backstory. The reader learns the origins of one character, but fails to learn the origins of another. If provided, this short story would have been perfect. This could ultimately be a set up for a great novel. However, after reading that ending I cannot wait to read the next part. 

If you are interested in reading a captivating story about what seems to be a battle amongst paranormal creatures in the human world, I highly recommend this short story. 




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Mad Libs: Vampire Academy (Blog Extravaganza #5)

So today is day #5 of the Get Up Offa That Slump Blogging Extravaganza hosted by Rachel at Beauty and the Bookshelf! Today we had the option of posting about a character dating profile or doing a mad-lib! Well lucky me I actually got a mad lib book from my #otspsecretsister. So here are the rules as they are described in any mad libs book:

Do Not look at the story on the page below. Fill in the following blanks on the page with words called for. Then, using the words you have selected, fill in the blank spaces in the story. Now you've created your own hilarious mad libs game!

Here Are The Words To Fill In: 


Adjective: Soft
Verb: Ran
Noun: Toilet
Adjective: Blue
Part of the Body (Plural): Legs
Noun: Chair
Verb Ending In "ING": Cutting
Adjective: Purple
Part of the Body: Nose
A Place: Hogwarts
Person in Room (Male): Tommy
Adjective: Warm
Verb Ending in "ING" : Hitting
Verb: Run

The Mad Lib:

My name is Rose Hathaway, and I attend a/an (adjective) school called St. Vladmir's, where I'm learning how to (verb) vampires. I'm going to be a/an (noun), a personal bodyguard trained to protect (adjective) vampires called Moroi from the Strigoi, who are immortal killing machines. I won't know who I'm guarding until after I graduate, but I'm keeping my (part of the body-plural)crossed that it will by my best (noun), Vasilisa Dragomir. Lissa's the last (verb ending in "ing")member of the Dragomir royal family, and we share a/an (adjective) psychic connection. I'm the best person to watch her (part of the body). Only problem is, we ran away to (a place) together, and got caught and sent back to St. (person in room - male)'s in disgrace. I'll be (adjective) if they even allow me to continue (verb ending in "ing") school! Plus, I'm pretty sure mom's going to (verb) me!

My Answers:

My name is Rose Hathaway, and I attend a/an soft school called St. Vladmir's, where I'm learning how to run vampires. I'm going to be a/an toilet, a personal bodyguard trained to protect blue vampires called Moroi from the Strigoi, who are immortal killing machines. I won't know who I'm guarding until after I graduate, but I'm keeping my legs crossed that it will by my best chair, Vasilisa Dragomir. Lissa's the last cuttingmember of the Dragomir royal family, and we share a/an purple psychic connection. I'm the best person to watch her nose. Only problem is, we ran away to Hogwarts together, and we got caught and sent back to St. Tommy's in disgrace. I'll be warm if they even allow me to continue hitting school! Plus, I'm pretty sure mom's going to crack me!


*I hope you guys had as much fun reading this as I did creating it! Mad Libs are actually quite. Copy this one done and fill it in for yourself or with a group of friends.

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Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: Playlist

So instead of writing a review I decided to come up with a playlist to listen to while reading the book. I hope you enjoy!



Published: 2012
# of Pages: 359 
Source: Library 


Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

Playlist

Summertime by New Kids on the Block

I mean this book takes place during the summer time so I definitely had to include this song on the list. 




Young, Wild, & Free by Wiz Khalifa

For some reason this song really reminded me of Dante and Ari. They are attempting to discover the secrets of the universe and I thought that in order to  do that they really had to let go and live young.



She Used to Be Mine by Sara Bareilles 

Okay so although this song may not sound like or seem like the song for this book it fits perfectly. It deals with losing oneself and how we change as time progresses. This definitely relates to how Ari struggles with who he is and what he becomes as he changes from a boy into a man. 



Crush by David Archuleta 

I mean let's be honest, the lyrics of this song fit perfectly for Dante. In fact, I can just imagine him singing these lyrics. 



How to Save a Life by The Fray 

So I won't explain this one because if I do it'll spoil a part of the book. Just read it to see how it applies. 



Only Exception by Paramore 

A great chunk of this book is about learning to let go and love. Everyone has been in this position before. This song is definitely a testament to that fact. It's about being on the way to trusting and loving someone. 



Who You Love by John Mayer & Katy Perry 

Such a beautiful song and such a perfect fit. "You can't make yourself stop dreaming who you're dreaming of if it's who you love." 




I hope you have enjoyed the playlist!! Comment below with your thoughts and opinions. 

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